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Woo Hoo!
I'm gonna be a STAR!
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STOP and
ask yourself this one very important question. Is it my child who really wants to be an actor OR is it I who wants my
child to be an actor a/k/a rich and famous? Be honest with yourself now, which is it. The notorious "stage
door mom" is alive and well in Hollywood and all across America for that matter. Come on let's be honest shall
we, what five year old really knows what he or she wants for his or her future? Now if a child truly loves all that
comes with acting and if the child has the steady and competant support of his or her parents then go forward but with constant
vigilence. If, however, there is any doubt, then don't. One thing the acting world provides in abundance is rejection.
No matter how cute, how smart or how adorable your child, he or she will get denied for far more roles than he or she will
get. That alone can be heavy trauma. Nevertheless, with vigilent and supportive parents acting as a child can
also be a lot of fun and sometimes even financially rewarding as well. Okay then you are going to assist your child
in acting. Now please consider this.
JACKIE COOGAN was America's yongest millionaire earning more than $4 million as a child star early in the 20th
Century. Unfortunately his mom and step dad spent pretty much all of it so he arrived at adulthood absurdly broke.
As is typical he loved his acting career and went on to earn another fortune with his final major role that of of Uncle Festes
on the Addams Family. The tragic story of his young life caused the State of California to pass a law, generally known
as the Coogan Account Law, that requires producers to withhold 15% of earnings by children under age 18 years of age to be
held in trust until their 18th birthday. CLICK ON PICTURE of Jackie Coogan for full details of the
Coogan Account law. Such accounts can be readily established with pretty much any bank or credit union.
 If you are under age 18 in the State of California and
you want to be a professional (paid) actor you will need a Work Permit. To get one simply CLICK ON the image above and
print out the form. Fill out the part pertaining to the actor/actress. Then the school he or she attends will
need to give their consent. So long as the actors grades are decent it will not be a problem. Once it has been
completed if you are in the greater Los Angeles area I have found the most accomodating branch of the Division of Labor Standards
Enforcement, 6150 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91401. For other locations just google CA Division of Labor Standards
Enforcement. Work permits are valid for six months. So far they are issued at no charge.
  CLICK ON PIC TO ORDER COOL TOTE BAG
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NEW STORY - JUST HAPPENED The other day I got a "casting notice" from one of the major "breakdonw" services inviting my daughter and probably a couple hundred thousand of other dad's daughters to audtion for an agent. Sounds cool, right? Well I followed my own advice and went to the "Vital Sources" page on this website and checked out the "agent" seeking new talent. Turns out they are NOT licensed as a agent in California. They are also not recognized or more particularly "franchised" by either SAG or AFTRA. None of this is good. This is either some one naive to the requirements of being a real agent, or more likely they are crooks of some sort out to scam the always eager and therefore always vulnerable young actors in our community. I have no interest in associating with either group. Thanks to the information available right here I avoided a potential problem or series of problems. Dang! That makes me feel good. /s/ Ron Irwin TWO TALES of TERROR.
Before I begin I must tell you two tales that could well
have had a devastating ending. Fortunately they did not solely because the young actors dad stayed vigilent. The Audtion. One
day my then 13 year old daughter received an invitation via a reputable breakdown service to auditon for a role. The
invitation contained both an address for the the audition and sides. Sides are small parts of a script used mainly for
audition purposes. First I read the sides which read something pretty much like this. "Young girl enters
room with older man and kisses him passionately." Well that got my full and complete attention so next I checked
the address on google earth and discovered that the audition was to take place at a private residence. So let's see,
they want my 13 year old daughter to go to some guys house where she would then kiss him passionately. But being ever
an optimist I called the number given for the "casting director" and asked if maybe I had the wrong "sides."
"Oh no" replied the young femal on the other ewnd of the phone"and you should also know that there is nudity
in the project." That renoved any tiny smidgen of doubt. But knowing how desparate some kids and even some
parents are just to get an audition I would bet more than one young girl showed up and passionately kissed some freaky pervert
just to get her shot at fame. The Feature Movie. So
pretty much out of the blue one day I get a meeting with this guy who says he is going to produce a real feature film and
he wants my daughter to star in the film. What parent wouldn't love to hear that. Well being too good to be true
I started digging. At first I found only one negative on the internet and it was minor so we had another two meetings.
At each one I began to feel a certain sense of disbelief in the guy. So I went and dug harder. This time I discovered
that the guy who wanted to make my 14 year old daugter a STAR was in fact mainly a pornographer. Another potentially
life destroying situation avoided through abundant due diligence. The bottom line is this.
Believe it or not I have found the vast majority of the real people in the entertainment industry to be fine folks generally
pleasent to be around. But it only takes one scum ball to ruin or at least scar your child for life. Therefore
DUE DILIGENCE ALWAYS is absolutely required.
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Jason Zombie
Hinnon Valley The basic information found at the Vital Sources page
of this website apply to children as well as adults with one caveat. Most actors benefit from the services of an agent.
Children absolutely should have an agent. It is iust one more layer of protection for your child.
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